1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to providing a compact graphical user interface. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a compact graphical user interface for flexible filtering of data,
2. Background Art
There are constant attempts in the art to create search interfaces for filtering digital data with ever increasing accuracy to find desired content more quickly and easily. Search interfaces are often equipped with multiple search components to perform multiple domain searches for increased search accuracy. However, using only conventional textual search components may be insufficient or inefficient for filtering certain kinds of digital data. Thus, it is useful to incorporate non-textual search components into search interfaces to perform facilitated searches on digital data.
However, there are substantial shortcomings in using conventional search interfaces having multiple search components. Conventional search interfaces having multiple search components often require reserving a large portion of the user interface area, which is a valuable and limited resource. For example, to support multiple search domains, multiple search components are required, each component reserving dedicated user interface area. Furthermore, these multiple search components often add confusion to the user experience, thereby decreasing intuitive usability. For example, a conventional user interface may present a user with two separate interface elements A and B for filtering search results. It may be unclear whether element A and/or element B is affecting the search. Thus, the user may be confused as to which one of the multiple search components may be actually driving the data search.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a compact graphical user interface, using minimal interface area, for flexible filtering of data.